Usenet Providers

[MacGyverSG1]

Curious which Usenet Providers FST members are using.

I was using AstraWeb and Usenetserver for years. As some know, AstraWeb stopped accepting PayPal. That ended my relationship with them, but their service is not what it used to be anyway. Looking for another provider that can give access to files that Usenetserver doesn't.

[Caballero]

Still happy with Easynews.

Stay away from Giganews.

[Gregg987]

I still use free-but-capped-or-throttled Usenet providers. Which partly explains why I whine when SD versions (or HEVC of 720p which uses similar bandwidth) of TV shows are not available.
Am I a cheapskate? Yes. Is miserliness the only reason for using such services? No.
news.free-usenet.com (needs to be renewed after 3 hours, about 1GB)
free.xsusenet.com (free version does not support SSL, so for use only with hmm, uncontentious files).
My cable company / ISP used to provide a very useful Usenet facility. Those were the days!

[MacGyverSG1]

Still happy with Easynews.

Stay away from Giganews.

Yeah, I parted with Giganews years ago. I'll have to check out Easynews.

Thanks :)

[shaina]

Still happy with Easynews.

Stay away from Giganews.

In my opinion it is not good to post any good quality Usenet provider on any open forum, that's when they become shitty ones ;)....

Sending someone a quick PM is just as easy right Cabby;)

Funny Giganews is a veteran in the game and is by far the fastest and most reliable out of any Usenet provider out there!! And the advertisement on all these types of forums killed it, they were the first targeted for Takedowns/DMCA.. And think about it Cabby, do you really think they were ever going to jeopardize there true customers ?? Banks, Governments, and who knows else?? Guys like us were peanuts compared to them....
But i will say there service was the best for sure!!!!


I still use free-but-capped-or-throttled Usenet providers. Which partly explains why I whine when SD versions (or HEVC of 720p which uses similar bandwidth) of TV shows are not available.
Am I a cheapskate? Yes. Is miserliness the only reason for using such services? No.
news.free-usenet.com (needs to be renewed after 3 hours, about 1GB)
free.xsusenet.com (free version does not support SSL, so for use only with hmm, uncontentious files).
My cable company / ISP used to provide a very useful Usenet facility. Those were the days!

I can tell you Gregg that 99.9% of the tv shows are uploaded/encoded in a Binary group in sd versions, and since you do save big time on a Usenet provider, you could splurge and join a private NZB site for peanuts a year?? That is, and really the crew here in the NZB section are great and do an amazing job to get pretty much all the formats of the TV shows:idunno:

Do you have a preference on a format?? SD version .avi/.mp4/.mkv?? Sound ac3/aac/mp3?? Was there something you were looking for??

[anon]

I still use free-but-capped-or-throttled Usenet providers.

Same, but then again I only use newsgroups as a backup. Free-Usenet.com was the bomb when it had no captcha and you didn't have to renew it daily :smilie4: Still, it's a free service and works really well (or at least it did last time I used it), so zero complaints.

[Gregg987]

... the crew here in the NZB section are great and do an amazing ...

Agreed ! It's a fabulous community, to get so much help from people whom one probably never will get a chance to thank personally. Muchissimas gracias.

I have been a squeaky wheel and am hesitant to start publishing want lists. Availability can be time-sensitive as well. Who wants to debug that? Nobody. I hope to see, to continue to see, NZBs pointing to compact versions of British, Australian, NZ, Irish, and Canadian TV progs--as they largely are already. I could hardly expect better even if I were paying colleagues to do it!


Muchissimas gracias.

If you want a quick explanation in Spanish of why the above contains at least two spelling errors:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giDXTHOxWuQ

The joke is on me.

[Caballero]

In my opinion it is not good to post any good quality Usenet provider on any open forum, that's when they become shitty ones ;)....

True, but EN is one of the bigger and better-known ones already, so it's not like I am telling a secret...

[NameUser]

Giganews is the worst provider in 2019, worst retention, worst completion, worst price. ban you for uploading anything. Anyone using giganews should be checked into a hospital ASAP.

[Caballero]

Piggy-backing on this thread... Is it just me or has the propagation of NZBs/files gone to shit this past weekend, if not even in the days before? Can't find half the stuff I see on P2P in the newsgroups, and what I find is very slow and mostly doesn't cover all the versions (SD/HD/etc).

City on a Hill s01e02 or Deep State s02e08 is still not available, for example, and I can't find SD releases as much as I used to...

[NameUser]

Everything is available, but you need to be in one of those "do not mention our name on plebbit" and "we edit our nzbs to track and ban you for leaking them" invite ony indexers.

[Gregg987]

Maybe the useworld needs a gentlemen's agreement where secret groups' NZBs remain secret (or group-use-only) for a set time. Say 8 hours, 12 hours? After that, they would be fair game for sharing. After all, sharers are not the enemy, are they?

Otherwise, I suppose the next escalation would be to re-edit (or strip out extraneous info from) NZB's before sharing.

[MacGyverSG1]

You can load an NZB in many NZB download apps and then export the queue to created a new NZB.


Piggy-backing on this thread... Is it just me or has the propagation of NZBs/files gone to shit this past weekend, if not even in the days before? Can't find half the stuff I see on P2P in the newsgroups, and what I find is very slow and mostly doesn't cover all the versions (SD/HD/etc).

City on a Hill s01e02 or Deep State s02e08 is still not available, for example, and I can't find SD releases as much as I used to...

There has been slow-downs like this many times before. Maybe someone went on vacation. The changing of the seasons can have an effect (good weather, fewer posts).

[ger036]

I use indexers mostly and have not noticed anything odd but I'm all automated with Sonarr and everything is getting downloaded.

To go back to the original topic; I'm not sure why being vague about servers is important there's only a handful left really, Omicron being the giant, Giganews next and then the smaller tier ones of which I highly recommend you support to keep all of usenet from being a monopoly; Vipernews, UsenetExpress, & Usenet Farm being the 3 that are newer and working well.
Both reddits have extensive provider maps in the wikis and the companies are not trying to fly under the radar. Indexers are a different matter lol.

[MacGyverSG1]

Pointing out the Usenet providers that still allow access to files that have been taken down (or blocked), makes them a target.

I sure the DMCA knows who's who, anyways. But, let's not help them out.

[anon]

3734439 may help those who want to "clean up" or edit NZB files.

[Gregg987]

3734439 may help those who want to "clean up" or edit NZB files.

I downloaded the provided file from 2014. AVG Free said:

"Object name";"[redacted]\nzbedit.zip:\nzbedit\nzbedit.exe"
"Detection name";"Trojan horse BackDoor.Hupigon5.BTLI"
"Object type";"file"
"SDK Type";"Core"
"Result";"Infected"
"Action history";""

Of course I've seen before a perfectly good exe from days of yore get labeled malware years later. So, which is it?

[anon]

The files are compressed as-is from a program install (I have lost the actual installer) and I never spotted malicious behavior from it, so it must be a false positive.

In any case, NZBs are merely XML files, so they can also be altered with any text editor :)

[MacGyverSG1]

I use notepad.

[NameUser]

That is not enough. They inject custom part segment into every nzb per user. You will notice all these nzbs will have 99.9% completion, never 100%. To be safe you need 2 accounts and run a diff. Even then you can be busted by correlating side-channel data points.

[neverwake021]

I would like to see a poll going to rank providers. I would like to know user experience and rate the top providers. Right now I rely on ads to find the best deal, but it's not cheap so it's difficult to compare and swap out different providers easily. I'd be interested in best value, and also cheapest polls.

[MacGyverSG1]

The cheapest ones will be slower, have less retention, and serve fewer groups.

Value depends on how much you download.

As others have mentioned on FST, it's best to keep this info secret. Usenet provider experiences should be kept from public eyes.

[ltc27613]

I've been happy with usenetserver

[killer23d]

I use Astranews for most and blocknews for fills.

[gowerboy]

I use TweakNews. Great service from my perspective.

[srender517]

I have been with newshosting for a long time. No problems here.

[bldg1581]

I've tried several providers. Haven't had a horrible experience with any of them. For me, the key is getting the things you want as soon as possible.

[PMG7]

I have been with newshosting for a long time. No problems here.

With newshosting you get access to easynew too. There some interesting features. Their globlal search is very handy. Abliity to download through browser and even create nzbs.

[dapez]

Supernews. 1 plan - 1 price

Europe servers (i live in France)

[fnlinne]

newsdemon

[nez]

im using newshosting

[Jdm2005]

I use usenetserver and have done for a long time, very good service

[shaina]

I use Giganews, it really is the all time greatest service/provider, with very few take-downs....

People should really check it out :badrod:

[amranmiah121]

I have ended up using Usenet Farm. Suits my needs quite well :)

[krampus99]

newshosting has been fine for me etc.

[Adrenelin]

I have been buying in batch from Astraweb. I prefer batch purchase over monthly rates based on my needs.

[guylee]

I use Giganews, solid provider!

[shaina]

I use Giganews, solid provider!

I was waiting for a reply like this just to say you are Full of Shit!!!:happy:

But now you got 10 posts;)

[MacGyverSG1]

I use Giganews, solid provider!

I was waiting for a reply like this just to say you are Full of Shit!!!:happy:

But now you got 10 posts;)

It could be true. All depends on what they are downloading and when they download it.

[Caballero]

I dumped them years ago. Current stuff was taken down quickly; long-term retention of old stuff sucked. Not worth the money...

[MacGyverSG1]

I dumped them years ago. Current stuff was taken down quickly; long-term retention of old stuff sucked. Not worth the money...

Same for me. I went to NewsHosting after Giganews. Then I switched to AstraWeb. AstraWeb was great until they stopped accepting PayPal. But, I guess their quality went downhill at that time also.

[dc11r]

supernews has always been solid for me

[Tel-Bot]

I dumped them years ago. Current stuff was taken down quickly; long-term retention of old stuff sucked. Not worth the money...

Same for me. I went to NewsHosting after Giganews. Then I switched to AstraWeb. AstraWeb was great until they stopped accepting PayPal. But, I guess their quality went downhill at that time also.

Any particular reason you switched from Newshosting? Been thinking of switching to them for a while and will be changing soon from Giganews to a new service to save a bit of cash (sorry folks, but yep I'm on of 'them!')

[dominik]

Frugal - https://frugalusenet.com/ - is a good option too

[jflatt]

Tweaknews?

[sachido]

Newsgroupdirect is very good and has high retention. You can buy blocks of data that don't expire.

[johnstone3332]

I like Supernews as well.

Also free-usenet for the block accounts.

[hhknighter]

used to have tweaknews, then they changed quite a bit and switched over to usenet farm. Have their block account which seems to work well enough

[psx10k]

Newshosting. Retention is great, takedowns not so much.

[Jdm2005]

I find usenetserver ok and have the 12 monthly payment works out quite cheap. The vpn provided free is also good.

[bramor]

I've been using GN forever and the VPN thrown in is nice but it seems like the retention for many groups isn't making it past a couple hundred days and of course they take down pretty rapidly. I used to use Tweaknews for fills but it seems like takedowns are more common with them as well. I'd like to find something that is beyond DMCA reach. :-\

[Gribley]

.... something that is beyond DMCA reach. :-\

Popularity has been our downfall. Still my torrent box handles the alternatives just so much slower than a good NNTP grab.

[bramor]

Yeah, I may have to just spring for a seedbox to get more seriously into torrents. ATM I'm just using a couple private trackers for very specific types of software but I'd like to be able to use/seed public trackers more. Still, Usenet has always been a great resource because of the retention. I've even thought about 'archiving' things on Usenet in case I need to grab them later. :)

[anon]

I'd like to find something that is beyond DMCA reach. :-\

I'm suddenly remembering when TPB entertained the idea of running a tracker on international waters and even outer space, as well as their attempt to buy Sealand (which didn't work). Any of those would have been cool, but the connectivity would have to be provided by a "real" country at some point, so.


I've even thought about 'archiving' things on Usenet in case I need to grab them later. :)

That's a fairly good idea (as long as you encrypt and obfuscate personal data, you'll be sharing it with the entire world after all), but remember, any sort of remote backup should complement local copies, never replace them ;)

Also worth considering: name your backup "windows_10_source_code.zip" and put it on an open FTP server, people will then mirror it for you.

[bramor]

That's a fairly good idea (as long as you encrypt and obfuscate personal data, you'll be sharing it with the entire world after all), but remember, any sort of remote backup should complement local copies, never replace them ;)

Most definitely. Triple-DES wrapped inside RSA wrapped inside ROT-13 wrapped inside a tar wrapped inside a zip wrapped inside a rar.


Also worth considering: name your backup "windows_10_source_code.zip" and put it on an open FTP server, people will then mirror it for you.

:lol:

[anon]

Most definitely. Triple-DES wrapped inside RSA wrapped inside ROT-13 wrapped inside a tar wrapped inside a zip wrapped inside a rar.

No RC4 in there, I'm disappointed :turned:

[xxonslaughtxx]

Newshosting been it for me, just signed up ages ago and have not bothered to check out any others.

[vn11]

been using frugal usenet for a couple of years - price is competitive and completion is good

[SydBarrett]

Supernews retention went to crap lately, got an offer for $20 a year for usenetserver I couldn't pass up. But this is my second time on usenetserver and I had to dump them before in the past when completion percentage went to 1%, every binary file incomplete.

[microyard]

eweka.nl is pretty good.

[bbneo]

Whaaa - $20 a year for usenetserver? I am paying $10 a month for SSL and 20 connections. I subscribed years ago and never cared to check the costs but your offer was incredible.

[ger036]

You should check out the usenet reddit.... also learn about the various backbones and the current evil empire.

[afragler]

i have tried many hosts and have been very happy with newshosting. its $100/year with vpn lightning fast awsome retention and the vpn works with everything else. Its my experience that you kind of get what you pay for. I sound like a commercial but hey no problems with them is good

[bbneo]

I just changed from my monthly (10$) UNS plan to their actual plan - 12 month for $95,40 USD. That's 7.95 $ / month. On top of the year subscription I now have access to their VPN which is kind of neat but I do not really use one. UNS was my first host and I remain pleased with their service.

[mrsardonicus]

I still have giganews,looks like I'll have to check out newshosting.

[akpends]

Easynews for almost 20 years... damn, I feel old.

[Caballero]

Easynews for almost 20 years... damn, I feel old.

I hope you are aware of their $4.99/month unlimited plan... I know I was pissed that I apparent vastly overpaid for quite a few years.

[akpends]

Wasn't aware of that. I think I'm still being charged $14 a month or so. I'll look into it. Thanks for the heads up.

[Caballero]

Here is the link: https://signup.easynews.com/unlimited/

Oddly enough they don't show this option when you are in your account/settings section and look at the various add-ons and available plan pricing. :dry:

If you don't want to lose your account history contact their customer support and they'll probably change the plan type for you at the end of your current period. That's what they did for me so I did not have to create a new account and password, etc. I was just charge the $59.88 at the next monthly renewal and then did not have any additional charges for the next year.

Also, they told me the plan will auto-renew at this price after 12 months, so for the time being there should not be any year-on-year price increases.

[jbond8]

Giganews was my go to for years...how i got into this hobby...but past few years their retention was not great..and most posts were missing parts....switched to Tweaknews and haven't looked back...get the upgraded fast version...it kicks ass..

[MegaPain]

I've been using Frugal for many years without any issues.

[whocares101]

I've been using usenetserver for years now. I think the price is pretty good if you buy the year up front.

[Gregg987]

I've been using free but limited bandwidth providers. FREE-USENET () has not only been free, but uses SSL and reliably transmitted at about 100 KB/S. [Caveat: it's free, but only in three-hour chunks]. Back to Normal--the glitch described below lasted only until the next day In the past couple of days nothing has come through, resolving in SAB to this error message: " [Errno 10061] ('_ssl.c:711: The handshake operation timed out',) ". The news page of FREE-USENET doesn't give any hint of issues at their end. I'm relying on Murphy's Usenet Law, which states that any problem once reported will disappear without explanation. Or does it?

Edit2: When I wrote back to normal a month ago, it wasn't really normal, but pretty close. Now I'd say it really is back to normal. I think the glitch may have been caused by: well, the provider gets to treat freeloaders (me) less royally than paying clients. Digne et justum est. I think he must have been trying out more aggressive throttling for freeloaders. So we're all good now. Even with Covid and the molassesization of the Internet, I'm not experiencing issues. Knock on wood, he said, touching his temple and then vigourously washing his finger.

Edit3: Now April 4-5th back to zero speed as originally reported. Perhaps their system, as well as the internet in general, is stressed. Maybe the earlier zero speed was a code testing period for crisis mode, now. free.xsusenet.com is working great, but doesn't support SSL. This, when the history of our time is written it will say, "this was his final edit of that post."

[nebakke]

I've been through different ones over the years. In all honesty the difference isn't much any more, if something's taken down it tends to feel like it's taken down everywhere anyway, but maybe my fallback config just isn't versatile enough.
I do tend to swap largely because I find a good offer and because I live in the vain hope that one day I'll find the holy grail though ;)

Right now I'm with newshosting.com on a cheap-ass unlimited deal from Black Friday (I think)... They're doing heaps fine but I'm not sure I could justify paying the 'full' price for them. Usenetbucket actually did OK, I was pretty happy with them, just a better offer came through.
I've played with usenet.farm and tweaknews as well, they were fine - just a matter of timing when it comes to offers again.

[anon]

FREE-USENET () has not only been free, but uses SSL and reliably transmitted at about 100 KB/S. [Caveat: it's free, but only in three-hour chunks].

I remember when it was one month, then one week, then one day... at least it's not one hour now.

Anyway, I took the time to check and they're working fine for me. Try changing the server hostname to 136.243.166.131, port 443, SSL enabled and certificate verification set to minimal. If you can connect, either you have an old DNS entry cached or your provider is blocking the server.

[rosstheintern35]

i use hitnews

[r1284g]

Newshosting works great for me.

[mixenzb]

Newshosting here for me also. They are fast, reliable and the newsgroup reader software is excellent.

[alien]

I am using 2 unlimited usenet provider, newsdemon dan usenet express
Newsdemon I am with their 15 usd for 7 months promo which if you want to, they still sell it as their 15 years anniversary promos.
Usenet express with their 29 usd per year promo.
So in total about 55 USD per year. Which I think it already cheap enough, and I can found almost everything that I want.

[catch]

I use newsdemon for 5,5 euro/month. I'm very happy with the speed

[vashyr]

Frugal - https://frugalusenet.com/ - is a good option too

Actually i have been looking at them recently, they look interesting price based.

I have tried lately https://usenetbucket.com/ very simple and basic service a good starting point if you want to test the idea i would say.

[ralphkaz]

I'm on the Usenetserver deal for $19.99 for entire year (had this deal for 3 years now). Pricing should be good for life & includes PrivadoVPN as well.. overall pretty happy with them although I have noticed lately that big blockbuster flix get taken down pretty quick so you have to get them within a day of NZB being posted...

[anon]

Free-Usenet is hosed. Usenet Farm seems good.

[oldschool25]

Newsdemon for a few years now, not had any issues.

[BigBirdFinger]

usenetserver. Been using them for 10+ years with no issues. I think I pay $10 US a month.

[freakynzb]

Anyone know wich usenet are fast for download speed?

[det427]

Anyone know wich usenet are fast for download speed?

Blocknews and Astraweb

[anon]

Anyone know wich usenet are fast for download speed?

That can depend on peering to your location, which is why most commercial providers have servers on multiple countries and some offer a reverse traceroute tool.

[texasmcse]

ive used supernews for many years now

[chuubaka]

I use newshosting and haven't had any issues; used it for years.

[r_black]

ive used supernews for many years now

Supernews is on giganews backbone, I would not recommend